Abstract:

Abstract: Russia currently incarcerates women in conditions that amount to
human rights violations. Women incarcerated in Russia’s prisons experience not only
oppression and abuse common to all those incarcerated in Russia, but also genderspecific
harms. While Russia has signed on to many pivotal human rights treaties, it also
has a long history of mass incarceration of its people. Today, the prison conditions for
women in Russia reveal a need for reform. Reformers are challenged by a powerful State
that has not prioritized the type of reform necessary to eliminate further harms done to
incarcerated women. To ensure the rights of women guaranteed under Russian and
international law, Russia must implement gender-specific prison reform. This reform
must incorporate gender-specific language into Russia’s penal code. International human
rights laws and organizations can provide incarcerated women and their advocates with
important tools. These tools could be used to encourage Russia to implement necessary
gender-specific prison reform. This would be a positive step toward gender equality for
women incarcerated in Russia’s prison system.